Footloose: The Musical

*This is the first guest submission to 352Reviews. The Chief Theatre is outside of our normal geographic range, but we were lucky enough that a reader was able to see Footloose: The Musical and write a review to share with everyone. As always, our goal is to shine a light on as many theaters, shows, and volunteers as we can to show appreciation for all the time and energy it takes to bring a show to stage!

7/10

It’s hard not to feel that staging Footloose: The Musical is a timely decision at this moment in America. The play, based on the 1984 film, explores the issues of authority, public and civic duty, freedom of expression, and the conflict of inter-generational perspectives on society.

A relatively well-known story at this point, Footloose follows Ren McCormack, a Chicago teenager whose life is turned upside down when his father leaves, forcing him to move in with relatives in the small Midwestern town of Bomont. Ren's difficulty in adjusting to small town life is exacerbated when he discovers that dancing is illegal there. When he pushes back, Ren is branded a troublemaker, particularly by the moral leader of the town, Reverend Shaw Moore. Ren’s rebellious nature provides the perfect foil to the repressive townspeople and catches the attention of Moore’s daughter, Ariel, who dreams of escaping the town and her father.

Jose De La Cruz and Felicia Sisk shine in the roles of Ren and Ariel. Their roles require a certain level of on-stage chemistry to engage the viewer, which in the case of this production, is strong and serves as the emotional center of the show. Chris Snow is also a standout as Chuck Cranston, Ariel’s volatile boyfriend whose jealousy and anger at the appearance of Ren are palpable from the audience.

As anyone familiar with the film might guess, Footloose is full of lively and energetic dance numbers, primarily performed to the tune of the film's soundtrack. Kayla Coffey and Lacy Acevedo, the show’s choreographers, bring complicated dance routines to life, often requiring several of the actors to feign incompetence in the beginning of the song only to show the progression of dance skills as the song builds.

The show relies on large set pieces with complicated changes to create each scene. Unfortunately, these prove to be cumbersome at times and create lulls in between scenes. However, this is a minor distraction, as the transitions include reversible walls that switch the two story stage area into multiple different locations, each feeling fully fleshed out and worth the wait.

Perhaps the show’s biggest flaw is in dropping some of the elements of Reverend Shaw’s story from the original film. Shaw’s story hinges on four relationships - that with his wife, his daughter, his town, and, finally, with Ren. Footloose: The Musical removes several key town interactions that directly influence the Reverend’s narrative arc. Without these scenes, the Reverend’s story is weakened, which weakens the overall progression of the story.

Footloose: The Musical runs through Sunday, October 26th at the Chief Theatre in Chiefland (25 East Park Avenue). Tickets can be purchased at chief-theatre.com.